Norway, Ireland, Spain to recognize Palestinian state

Spain, Norway and Ireland have announced that they will recognize Palestinian statehood. In an interview with DW's Phil Gayle, Norway's minister of foreign affairs, Espen Barth Eide, explained what he hopes the move will achieve and whether the decision was influenced by Israel's current war against Hamas.

Dennis Ross, a former US Middle East envoy, told DW's Conflict Zone that the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) seeking warrants for Hamas and Israeli leaders was creating a false "moral equivalence" in the minds of most Israelis.

Ross said the ICC move, in a sense, effectively treats Hamas, which is responsible for the October 7 terror attacks on Israel, the same as "leaders of a state who are responding to this kind of an assault."

On Monday, the chief prosecutor at the ICC, Karim Khan, announced that he would apply for arrest warrants targeting Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for how they are conducting the war in Gaza. 

The prosecutor has also applied for warrants for key leaders of Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, Germany and others. 

"There certainly are issues that I think the prosecution is raising about the way the Israelis have conducted the war. But most Israelis will see this as creating a moral equivalence where there is none," Ross said.

He added that this could contribute to Israelis supporting the continuation of the war. 

There was an expectation that Khan would visit Israel and "have discussions prior to coming out with this, and, obviously, he did not do that," Ross said. 

"You have people who are extremely critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu who are also quite critical of this. A little bit more could have been done to set the stage," Ross said.

Israel's leadership has been heavily condemned for the deaths of Palestinian civilians during its operations in Gaza. Israel's government maintains its war targets Hamas and not the Palestinian people.

As of Wednesday, health authorities in Gaza estimate more than 35,700 people have been killed during the war. International aid organizations warn of famine and a growing humanitarian crisis as the war continues. 

Ross said that Israel's leaders should have "gone out of their way" to demonstrate the war in Gaza's imperative is "to defeat Hamas and not to punish the Palestinians who live in Gaza."

"Israel did not act in that way, and it made it easier for those to portray what they're doing in a way that is outside ... the bounds of acceptability," he added. 

"My own view is the Gazan population is the victim of Hamas, [they are] not in league with Hamas, and Israel's approach to the war needed to separate Hamas from the population of Gaza," Ross said.  

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said plans by Spain, Ireland and Norway to recognize a Palestinian state are "a reward for terrorism."

"The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terror," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"This would be a terrorist state. It would try to carry out the October 7 massacre again and again, and that, we shall not agree to," Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday announced the cancellation of an order that bars Israelis from areas in the northern occupied West Bank, in a move that could see Israelis return to three former West Bank settlements.

The three settlements, Sha-nur, Ganim and Kadim, are located near the Palestinian cities of Jenin and Nablus, considered by Israel to be strongholds of armed militant groups in the northern West Bank.

Gallant said the three evacuated settlements would be attached to the local settler regional council, the first step in allowing them to apply for building permits and allow Jewish settlers to return to the area.

Since Israel evacuated the settlements in 2005, its citizens have been officially banned from returning to settle. 

In May 2023, Homesh, another nearby evacuated settlement, was attached to the local settler regional council and a religious Jewish
school was established there.

That came after Israel's parliament passed an amendment to the so-called 2005 disengagement law, which could open the door for official returns to the West Bank areas

"The Jewish hold on Judea and Samaria guarantees security, the application of the law to cancel disengagement will lead to the development of settlement and provide security to residents of the area," Gallant said in a statement Wednesday, using the Biblical names for the West Bank that are often used in Israel.

US President Joe Biden believes a Palestinian state should be achieved through negotiations, not unilateral recognition, the White House said.

The statement came after three European countries — Norway, Spain and Ireland — declared that they would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28. 

"The president is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said. "He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition."

The United States and most Western European nations have so far maintained that they are willing to one day recognize Palestinian statehood, but not before the parties to the conflict reach an agreement on thorny issues like final borders and the status of Jerusalem.

When asked about the decision by Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognize a Palestinian state, the German Foreign Ministry stressed Berlin's support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

 "An independent Palestinian state remains a firm goal of German foreign policy," a ministry spokesperson told a regular news conference in Berlin, adding that a dialogue process was needed for that goal.

Michael Roth, a German politician and head of the Bundestag's Foreign Affairs Committee, criticized the moves to grant recognition as sending a "false signal at a false time."

"I fear this will not bring us any closer to the necessary two-state solution," Roth told the German RND media outlet.

It also gives "the false impression that it was only the horrific terror by Hamas on October 7 that led to a new positive dynamic in favor of the Palestinians," he added.

Jürgen Hardt, another German politician and foreign policy spokesman for the opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) parliamentary group, has warned the German government against undertaking a similar move.

"The tried and tested formula should continue to apply for Germany: Recognition of a Palestinian state only in the course of successful peace negotiations," he told the Rheinische Post.

He added that until then, the priority should be "concrete, authentic engagement with the parties to the conflict and concrete steps towards a viable two-state solution."

The announcements by Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognize a Palestinian state have drawn mixed reactions. Politicians in fellow European countries Germany and France have criticized the move.

France said it doesn't consider now the right moment for this step.

"Our position is clear: the recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France," Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne was quoted as saying by AFP. "France does not consider that the conditions have been present to date for this decision to have a real impact in this process."

Jordan, however, hailed the coordinated move by Ireland, Norway and Spain.

"We value this decision and consider it an important and essential step towards a two-state solution that embodies an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the July 1967 borders," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a press conference.

Saudi Arabia has also praised the decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain and called on other countries to recognize a Palestinian state. Riyadh has long positioned itself as a champion of the Palestinian cause and has never recognized Israel.

Qatar welcomed the announcements as an "important step in support of a two-state solution." 

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council said it represented "a pivotal and strategic step towards achieving the two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

The 57-member Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which represents Muslim countries worldwide, similarly welcomed the move as an "important historic step."

Whether or not to recognize a Palestinian state is a decades-old debate. Advocates say the move would have legal and symbolic power. But critics argue it won't change the situation on the ground or solve the real issues. 

DW looks at the arguments for and against a Palestinian state.

Ireland has announced it will also recognize an independent Palestinian state on May 28, along with fellow European countries Spain and Norway.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was a coordinated move by the three countries.

He called it a "historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine."

The Irish premier said the move was intended to help produce a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution, calling it the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, Palestine and their peoples.

He said after his conversations with other world leaders he expected other countries to follow in the coming weeks.

Harris also said Ireland unequivocally recognizes Israel and its right to exist "securely and in peace with its neighbors," and called for all hostages in Gaza to be immediately returned.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin announced on X that Ireland's recognition of a Palestinian state will be formally enacted on May 28.

Israel recalled its ambassadors from Spain, Ireland and Norway in response to their moves to recognize a Palestinian state on Wednesday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the move saying that it would be "rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran."

"The twisted step of these countries is an injustice to the memory of the 7/10 [October 7 terror attack] victims," Katz said in a statement.

"Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays," Katz said, adding that the move could hinder efforts to secure a cease-fire and the return of hostages held in Gaza.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced on Wednesday that Norway will officially recognize a Palestinian state from May 28, emphasizing that peace in the Middle East requires such recognition.

The Spanish government has announced that it will recognize an independent Palestinian state on May 28.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the announcement while addressing Spanish lawmakers in the parliament on Wednesday.

The decision comes after Sanchez said in March that his government would take the first steps towards recognizing a Palestinian state, later adding that it would act in coordination with other countries.

Sanchez has spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as a possible cease-fire in Gaza. He has said several times that he was committed to the move.

Norway will recognize an independent Palestinian state as of May 28, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Wednesday.

"There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition," he said. "By recognizing a Palestinian state, Norway supports the Arab peace plan." 

Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas since the October 7 terror attacks that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.

"The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel," the Norwegian government leader said.

Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, the EU, Israel and others.

The expected announcement came at a press conference on Wednesday, focusing on the Middle East.

US President Joe Biden's administration is willing to work with Congress to potentially impose sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.

The comments come after ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested that the court issue warrants for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as for three leaders of the Hamas militant group.

Republican Senator Lindsay Graham asked of Blinken during a congressional hearing: "Will you support bipartisan effort to sanction the ICC, not only for the outrage against Israel but to protect in the future our own interest?"

In response, Blinken said: "I welcome working with you on that."

US President Joe Biden has also criticized the prosecutor's announcement, calling it "outrageous."

Khan said in his announcement that he had reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.

Ireland is expected to announce the recognition of a Palestinian state on Wednesday, media reports said, despite opposition from Israel.

The announcement is expected to come during a scheduled press conference at 8:00 am (0700 GMT), according to local media.

The Irish government believes that recognition will support peace efforts.

Ireland had earlier signaled it would recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of this month, part of a coordinated effort with Spain, Slovenia, and Malta, who argue that a two-state solution is crucial for lasting peace in the region.

Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he would announce a date for recognizing a Palestinian state on Wednesday.

The European Union supports a two-state solution, but it has not yet unanimously backed the recognition of a Palestinian state.

In 2012, the representation of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) was granted non-member observer status at the United Nations as the State of Palestine for the Palestinian Territories. Of 193 UN members, 138 voted for the recognition, with 9 voting against and 41 abstentions, including Germany.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted a video message addressed to Ireland on X warning that "recognizing a Palestinian state will lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace." It warned that recognition "risks turning you into a pawn in the hands of Iran and Hamas."

The militant Islamist group Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Israel and others.

ss/rt (Reuters, AFP)